The present invention relates to internet browser bookmarks and more particularly pertains to creating and using multipurpose web channels and for creating user customized internet portals from programmable network bookmarks.
Prior art network browser bookmarks (or browser favorites) as they exist today are simply saved links used to jump to sites (e.g., websites). Their sole function is to give one-click access to a user""s favorite sites. They wait upon the user to click on them to trigger the sole event they generatexe2x80x94bringing up the website associated with them. There is no active intelligence or potential for information transfer associated with bookmarks.
Custom internet portals exist (e.g. myYahoo, myLycos etc.). The level of customization is however, fairly minimal. These portals only allow the user to customize the content delivered to them not the source of the content delivered. For example, if a user is interested in Indian politics, Soccer, Cricket, and Semiconductor High Tech companies, MyYahoo allows him to configure Yahoo""s news source to filter through news on these topics. However, the user must take all this content strictly from Yahoo""s content providers. This arrangement prohibits users from choosing not just the type of content but the source of the content as well. While, for example, a user may want to be able to receive world politics news from his two favorite Indian news dailies every morning, get his Hi-Tech news coverage from Red Herring and CNet, and get sports news from Cricket.org and dailysoccer.com, access to all these sites through a prior art internet portal would be predicated on the internet portal offering access to all of the particular site via that particular portal.
A system, method, and article of manufacture are provided for creating and using an internet browser bookmark for delivering information to a user. In the present invention, a bookmark is created to form a link to a web site so that access to the linked web site is granted upon selection of the bookmark. Features are selected for the created bookmark relating to the linked web site. The selected features of the created bookmark are stored and executed to generate notices to the user when a particular event relating to the linked web site occurs.
In an aspect of the present invention, the features may include an alarm feature where a date and time are set so that a notification is generated at the set date and time for reminding a user to access the linked web site. The features may also include a pushed update feature where a periodic interval for receiving updates is selected and then an arrangement is made with the linked web site for the transmitting of updates at the periodic interval.
In another aspect of the present invention, the features may include a pulled update feature where at least one keyword is selected. The linked web site is periodically monitored for the presence of the selected keyword so that a notification may be generated upon the detection of the selected keyword in the linked web site. The features may further include a content Be change detecting feature wherein the content of the linked web site is monitored for changes in the content and a notification is generated upon the detection of a change in the content.
In yet a further aspect of the present invention, the features may include a content delivery feature where content is extracted from the linked web site so that output which includes the extracted content may be generated. Additionally, the features may include a service delivery feature where sales information from the linked web site is extracted and wherein output is subsequently generated which includes the extracted sales information. Further, the created bookmark and output generated from the execution of the selected features may be displayed as part of a user customized internet portal.